That stems a picture of vertical compliance and (hopefully) lateral stiffness. Otherwise, what a cool find.

There was a manufacturer that had a similarly designed stem but it got pulled off the shelves because that compliance led to failure. I can't recall their name though (I think it started with a "C" and had a two-part name). OP, is there any brand marking on that stem?

There was a manufacturer that had a similarly designed stem but it got pulled off the shelves because that compliance led to failure. I can't recall their name though (I think it started with a "C" and had a two-part name). OP, is there any brand marking on that stem?

Nat, Are you thinking of Cook Brothers? They made cranks and stems. You are dating yourself (in mountain bike timeline) in calling out the Kooka Cranks, I too remember them well.

Yes be careful with that stem & cranks. My kooka cranks failed in a big way as did my buddies. Never owned that stem, but would be afraid to run it. Not sure if over time the anodizing could cause it to become even more brittle?

Oh! And I remember running those brake stiffeners from back in the day too! Ha! Those things didn't work whatsoever! Seeing that bike reminds of just how far mountain bike technology has come....wow!

That frame geometry was never designed for a suspension fork. It was designed before suspension forks hit the market and it was designed to fit a normal length rigid fork. Putting a suspension fork under it jacked up the head tube and lengthened the Trail. The Trail on mine measured double what normal trail should measure. I even spoke with a guy who worked with the person who did the specs for Kestrel (none other than Keith Bontrager) and he confirmed this. Kestrel, in the later years of the CSX, showed it in ads with a suspension fork. I brought all this to the attention of Kestrel and they quietly refunded my purchase price. Not long after it was removed from the market. That would be in the late '90s - about '97 I think.

I would have been drooling over that bike big time back in the day. I have converted my old babe (Cannondale, Manitou3, XTR components, White Industries hubs, Paul brakes, Control Tech, Bontrager TI bar, etc.) to use on the road, and still love it. May be a great way to honor that beauty. I used to compete with my brother with his Klein for upgrading/tricking out.

Just acquired a Kestrel CSX

I actually own this bike now and would like to know if anyone can tell me what year it was made? It has M734 XT brakes on it and M735 XT derailleurs. I'm guessing that it's a 92-94 but since there's such a mix of parts, it's really hard to tell.

I had to cut the late model riser bars in half to remove them from the stem. Someone had obviously went to a great deal of effort to wedge them thru the stem. I've replaced the stem, bars, seat, cranks, and wheels with more rideable parts. The bike looks like it was never ridden off road and only has a few paint chips- no cracks or scratches.